Description

Soft and thick Coffee Cake Cookies combine a cinnamon sugar cookie with a buttery brown sugar streusel center and a smooth vanilla glaze. The tender, chewy texture and cozy cinnamon flavor make these cookies a lovely Thanksgiving dessert.

Ingredients

Scale

For the cookies:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 Tbsp whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
For the streusel:
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
Splash of vanilla
For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar, plus more if needed
2 Tbsp milk or heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla or clear vanilla

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Instructions

Combine the streusel flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in the melted butter and vanilla until crumbly, then set aside.
Cream the room-temperature butter with the granulated sugar and dark brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Mix in the egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda.
Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until incorporated.
Portion the dough into roughly 2-Tbsp balls.
Lightly flour the back of a tablespoon, then press an indentation into the center of each dough ball.
Add about 2 to 3 tsp streusel to each indentation.
Refrigerate the filled cookies for 30 to 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Arrange the chilled cookies several inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges look set while the centers still appear slightly underdone.
If desired, immediately reshape the warm cookies into circles with a round cutter or glass.
Cool the cookies briefly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Whisk the powdered sugar, milk or heavy cream, salt, and vanilla until smooth and drizzleable. Add extra powdered sugar or milk as needed to adjust the consistency.
Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the completely cooled cookies.

Notes

Use room-temperature butter for the cookie dough and melted, slightly cooled butter for the streusel.

Measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it, or use a kitchen scale. Too much flour can produce dry cookies.

Mix the cookie dough only until the dry ingredients disappear to keep the cookies tender.

Chill the filled cookie dough for at least 30 minutes to limit spreading and help preserve the center indentation.

Avoid overbaking. The centers should still look slightly underdone when you remove the cookies because they continue setting as they cool.

Apply the glaze only after the cookies have cooled completely.

Prepare the streusel up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container.

For extra texture, add finely chopped pecans, walnuts, or shredded coconut to the streusel.

For a gluten-free variation, replace the all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour.

Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days. Place parchment between layers to prevent the glaze from sticking.

Freeze fully cooled and glazed cookies for up to 3 months.

Freeze filled unbaked cookie dough for up to 3 months. Bake directly from frozen at 350°F, adding about 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.

Nutrition values are automatically calculated estimates and can vary according to the ingredients used.